Greentech Lead Asia: JinkoSolar, a solar power product manufacturer, has provided 804 kW of highly efficient solar panels to the largest rooftop PV solar installation located on a desalination plant in Murcia, Spain.
The desalination plant is operated by the Spanish state-owned water company called Acuamed.
Construction of the14,000 m2 rooftop installation began in September 2012 and was completed within three months.
The rooftop installation will reduce harmful emissions by approximately 725 tons annually and is expected to produce 1.2 million kWh per year, roughly equivalent to the total electrical needs of over 500 households. The energy generated will primarily be used to power the energy-intensive process of desalination and to supply other operations in the plant in order to reduce energy costs.
By combining solar PV power generation and desalination, this self-driven and near-zero gas emission facility will significantly reduce the usual greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity demand for the desalination process.
“As the basic needs for fresh water have become more important, it is crucial to introduce the latest and cost-competitive technologies to power the energy-intensive desalination process,” said Arturo Herrero, chief marketing officer of JinkoSolar.
“This is especially meaningful and a perfect match for regions that are short of fresh water but enjoy abundant resources of solar energy,” said Herrero.
JinkoSolar has built a vertically integrated solar product value chain with an integrated annual capacity of approximately 1.2 GW each for silicon ingots and wafers, solar PV cells and solar PV modules as of September 30, 2012.